No evidence of IS presence in occupied Palestinian territories — foreign minister

July 01, 2015, 14:41 UTC+3MOSCOWSome countries use such arguments to persuade us that the threat is imminent so that we reach a compromise on Israel’s conditions, Palestine’s top diplomat said commenting on reports about IS presence

MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. No evidence exists that the Islamic State extremist group is present in the occupied Palestinian territories, Palestine’s Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, said on Wednesday, commenting at the request of TASS on reports that Islamic State had declared war on the Hamas organization in the Gaza Strip.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that Islamic State maintains a presence in the occupied Palestinian territories," the minister said. "At times, some countries use such arguments to persuade us that the threat is imminent so that we reach a compromise on Israel’s conditions," al-Maliki said. "This approach is unacceptable. We are aware of this and won’t be deceived by it."

He also noted that the Palestinian Authority "had fulfilled its obligations on security in the occupied territories" for a long time. "We were able to provide a mechanism of complete safety, particularly on the West Bank," the minister said.